Kazakhstan has strengthened restrictions on the gambling business through amendments to the law
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed legislative amendments on July 8 to tighten the country’s gambling and lottery regulations.
The amended law includes stringent and incentivizing measures aimed at reducing gambling addiction among the population. It expands the list of individuals prohibited from gambling or placing bets and imposes restrictions on advertising by bookmakers and sweepstakes.
Furthermore, the law updates regulations governing lottery activities. It prohibits the sale of lottery tickets and the installation of lottery terminals in residential buildings, dormitories, religious buildings, cultural organizations' premises, and social facilities, including within a 100-meter radius of these locations.
In a move to safeguard the health of young people from the effects of energy drink consumption, the law prohibits selling these beverages to individuals under the age of 21.
State Counselor Erlan Karin noted that the law is part of initiatives proposed during the National Kurultai in March in Atyrau.
“One of the biggest accomplishments is the implementation of restrictive measures for those listed in the Unified Register of Debtors, which totals over 3.5 million people. The document also provides for the rehabilitation of citizens suffering from gambling addiction,” Karin wrote on his Telegram channel on July 8.
In his Atyrau speech, Tokayev called the problem of gambling addiction one of the main social evils.
“The worst thing is that gaming addiction is rapidly growing among our youth, causing the breakdown of young families and serving as the root cause of numerous crimes. With the new law, our state puts a powerful barrier against this social evil,” Yerlan Koshanov, the chairman of the Mazhilis, a lower chamber of the Kazakh Parliament, wrote in a Facebook post on July 8.(Source:astanatimes)
